Pump assembly



Sept. 3, 1957 w. 'H. CILKER 2,804,826

PUMP ASSEMBLY Original Filed Marqh 12, 1951 7 sheets-sheet 1 WILL/Au n. 0/1. KER

w. H. CILKER PUMP ASSEMBLY Sept. 3, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Criginal Filed March 12 1951 WILLIAM H. CILKER W. H. CILKER PUMP ASSEMBLY Sept. 3, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Criginal Filed March 12 1951 mum n. clue-n Sept. 3, 1957 v I w, clLKER 2,804,826

PUMP ASSEMBLY Original Filed March 12, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 W. H. CILKER PUMP ASSEMBLY Sept. 3, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Criginal Filed March 12, 1951 WILLIAM H. CILKER Sept. 3, 1957 w. H. CILKER 2,804,826

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Patented Sept. 3, 1957 PUMP ASSEMBLY William H. Cilker, Los Gatos, Calif., assignor to Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application March 12, 1951, Serial No. 215,069, now Patent No. 2,780,998, dated February 12, 1957. Divided and this application September 1, 1953, Serial No. 377,791

4 Claims. (Cl. 103-104) The present invention relates to pump assemblies and more particularly to pump assemblies especially suited for incorporation in and use with fire engine pumps of the centrifugal type. 1

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 215,060, filed March 12, 1951 for Fire Pump, now matured into Patent 2,780,998.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved centrifugal pump assembly, in which maintenance is facilitated by providing for easy removal and replacement of the impeller section thereof.

Another object is to provide a centrifugal pump assembly adaptable for mounting upon an automotive vehicle, in which the impeller section of said pump assembly may be removed and replaced without disturbing other parts of the pump or the vehicle upon which it is mounted.

Another object is to provide a centrifugal pump of the type adaptable for installation upon an automotive vehicle for fire fighting purposes, the impeller section of which pump may be replaced in a comparatively short time so that said fire fighting pump and vehicle will only be out of service for a relatively brief period.

Another object is to provide a fire engine pump assembly in which both the pump casing and the transmission housing are suspended from a rigid, unitary bridging member which contains the intake and discharge manifold passages and which is adapted for mounting upon the transversely spaced longitudinal frame members of the fire engine chassis.

Another object is to provide a compact and simplified centrifugal pump assembly for a fire engine pump.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective rear view of a pump assembly embodying the present invention as it would appear mounted on the side frame channels of an automotive vehicle chassis, portions of said channels and the vehicle drive mechanism being broken away and other portions omitted.

Fig. 2 is a perspective front view of the pump assembly.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the pump assembly.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the pump assembly.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 55 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken along line 66 of Fig. 3, portions thereof being broken away.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section taken along line 77 of Fig. 3, portions of the drive shafts being broken away.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a valve controlled manifold section A (Figs. 1 to 6) is adapted to be mounted transversely across the frame channels 26 and 27 of the chassis of an automotive vehicle, such as an ordinary automobile truck, to support the pump assembly thereon. An impeller section B is secured to the underside of the manifold A to be suspended therefrom, and a drive or gear housing section C is secured to a side of the impeller section and also to the manifold A.

By this arrangement the entire impeller section B can be easily removed for inspection, replacement or repair when necessary without disturbing either the manifold A or the gear housing C. All plumbing and accessory equipment, not shown, necessary for the operation of the pump or of the vehicle upon which it is mounted should be installed clear of the forward side of the impeller section so as not to interfere with its easy removal.

The mechanism of the gear housing section C is adapted to provide selective driving connection between the pump and a suitable prime mover, not shown, such as the engine of the motor vehicle upon which the pump is mounted.

The manifold section A is made from a cored casting, having a relatively straight main inlet conduit 20 which extends the entire length of the manifold and is open at both of its ends (Fig. 5). An open ended main discharge conduit 21, slightly smaller than the intake conduit 20, is formed to extend alongside the intake conduit the entire length of the manifold. The main conduits 20 and 21 are joined together at their ends by flanges 22 and 23, each of which serves as a mounting for conventional inlet and outlet hose connecting extensions, not shown.

Mounting pads 28 and 29 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) are formed on the underside of the inlet conduit 20, near the ends thereof, and are adapted to rest on the chassis frame channel members 26 and 27, respectively, of the motor driven vehicle, not shown, on which the pump is mounted. The mounting pads 28 and 29 are secured to the chassis members 26 and 27 by anchor members 39 each of which has a plate-like lower portion 33 (Fig. 3) and a threaded, upwardly extending shank portion 34. The lower plate portions 33 of these anchor members are secured to the outer sides of the frame channels 26 and 27 by bolts 35, and the shank portions 34 are inserted through slotted openings provided therefor in the mounting pads 23 and 29. Nuts 38, screwed onto the threaded shank portions 34, are drawn down to secure the mounting pads firmly in position on the chassis channel frame members.

The impeller section B comprises a substantially cylin drical housing portion with an annular central partition 91 cast integrally therewith. A pair of usual volutes 92 and 93 (Figs. 6 and 7) are formed interiorly of the cylindrical portion 90 on opposite sides of the central partition 91. The volute 92 receives the liquid discharged by a first stage impeller wheel 57 and directs it upwardly through one passage 94 (Figs. 5 and 6) of a double passage conduit 95 cast integrally with the cylindrical impeller housing portion 90, while the other volute 93 receives the liquid discharged by a second stage impeller wheel 59 and directs it upwardly into a second passage 97 (Fig. 6) of the double passage conduit 95.

The passage 94 in the double conduit 95 (Figs. 5 and 6) communicates at its upper end with a passage 55 (Fig. 5) opening downwardly, from one end of a valve housing 39 of the manifoldA, for communication with the discharge side of the first stage impeller 57, while the upper end of the passage 97 opens directly into the main discharge conduit 21 through a downwardly directed opening 67 (Fig. 6). A flange 98 (Figs. 3, 5 and 6), provided around the upper end of the double passage conduit 95, is secured to the underside of the manifold A by cap screws 99. A passage 58 also opens downwardly from the opposite end of the valve housing 39 and communicates with the intake side of the second stage impeller 59.

A spacing sleeve 100 (Figs. 6 and 7) is mouned on an impeller drive shaft 101 to hold the oppositely facing impeller wheels 57 and 59 in proper axially spaced 'relation on the impeller shaft, the spacing sleeve being jour nailed in a bushing 106 mounted in the central opening of the annular partition 91. The impellers 57 and 59 are keyed (Fig. 7) to the impeller shaft 101 by Woodruif keys 102 and103, respectively. The impeller wheels 57 and 59 together with the spacer sleeve 100 are clamped between a snap ring. 104: mounted in. an annular groove in the impeller shaft 101 and a nut 105 screwed onto 'a threaded portion of the impeller shaft 101. The not 105 is secured in adjusted position by a well known type of lock washer 107.

A second stage intake cap or suction housing 1110 (Figs. 2, 4, 6 and 7) is fitted onto the cylindrical impeller housing portion 90 to enclose the intake side of the second stage impeller 59, and is secured thereon by cap screws 111. The second stage intake cap 116 is on the forward end of the pump when the pump is mounted on an auto motive vehicle. Forward and rearward and words of similar import, as used herein, are intended to mean toward the front or rear of such vehicle.

A usual wear ring 112 (Figs. 6 and 7) having a radially extending flange 113 thereon is interposed between the intake cap 110 and the second impeller wheel 59. The wear ring 112 is fitted into a circular opening in the intake cap 110 and the flange 113 is seated against the inner side of the intake cap around the opening in the intake cap properly to position the wear ring therein.

An upwardly extending second stage intake conduit 114 (Figs. 2, and 6) is cast integrally with the intake cap 110, its upper end having an attaching flange 115 formed integrally thereonand secured to the underside of the manifold A by cap screws 117. A passage 118 (Fig. 6) in the second stage intake conduit 114' communicates at I its upper end with the upwardly extending second stage intake passage 58 in the manifold A, which opens into the end of the valve housing 39 farthest from the main inlet conduit 20.

The lower end of the passage 118 opens into a curved channel 119 of usual diminishing cross sectional size formed in the intake cap 110 to direct the liquid flowing downwardly through the passage 118 axially into the eye of the second stage impeller 59. A usual dam 120, indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 5, is provided across the zone of minimum area of the intake channel to prevent pre-rotation of the liquid in the intake cap 119 before it is drawn into the eye of the impeller.

A bearing bushing 121 (Figs. 6 and 7) is mounted in an axial opening in a boss 122 centrally of the intake cap 110, and the forward end of the impeller shaft 101 is journalled in the bushing 121. A tapered, threaded plug 123 is screwed into a correspondingly threaded opening centrally of the boss 122 axially beyond the end of the impeller shaft to seal off the opening.

A first stage intake cap or suction housing 124 is mounted over the other end of the cylindrical impeller housing 90 from that covered by the intake cap 110 and is secured thereto by cap screws 125. The first stage intake cap 124 has a curvedintake channel 127 and dam 128 therein, as indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 5,. similar to those in the second stage intake cap 110. The cap 124 also is provided with a wear ring 129 similar to the wear ring 112 for the second stage impeller 59. An intake conduit 130 for the first stage impeller 57 is formed integrally with the intake cap 124 and curves upwardly therefrom, its upper end being provided with an attaching flange 131 (Figs. 3, 5 and 6) which is secured by cap screws 131a to the underside of the manifold A to register with an opening 66 which opens directly into the main inlet conduit 20', see Fig. 6.

The impeller drive shaft 101 (Figs. 6 and 7) extends rearwardly from the impeller section B through an opening in a central boss. 132 of the first stage intake-cap 124, and issealed thereto hy. alconventional stufling box 1 33 havingia split gl'andj13'4'.

An arched gear housing 4, 5", 6 and 7) iscast integrally with the first stage intake connecting flange 137 (Figss cap 124 to overlie the rearwardly extending portion of the impeller shaft 101, and is provided with an upright mounting plate portion 138 on its rearward end. A ball bearing 139 (Fig. 7) is mounted in a flanged opening provided therefor in the upright, plate portion 138 and is secured against axial displacement by a snap ring 135. The impeller shaft has journal support in this bearing 139. The plate portion. 138 also has an annular centering flange 140 thereon concentricwith the opening for the ball bearing 139, and this centering flange fits into an opening in the forward wall of a-drive or gear housing 141 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7). The. gear housing is secured to the plate portion 138 by cap screws 142.

A strong gear housing support bracket 1 43 is secured (Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) to a pad provided therefor on top of the gear housing, the other end of the bracket being secured to the underside of the manfold A, in any appropriate manner, not; shown. The strong support thus provided for the gearhousing allows it to Withstand the powerful torque stresses to which it is subjected by the operation of a parking brake mounted thereon in a manner to be described later herein.-

Returning now to afurther" description of the rearward portion of the impeller shaft 10 1 (Fig. 7), a spacing collar 147 is mounted on a reduced portion of said impeller shaft 101 between the inner race of the ball bearing 139 and a shoulder 148 formed by the reduction in diameter of the impeller shaft. A grease seal 149 is mounted in the bearing opening inthe plate portion 138 forwardly of the ball bearing 139, and this seal has wiping, sealing engagement with the spacing collar 147. The spacing collar 147 is of slightly larger external diameter than the impeller shaft, and extends forwardly of the gear housing 141 beyond the grease seal 149', so that the collar 147 also acts as a slinger to cast outward by centrifugal force any water which might seep past the stufling box 133 and creep rearwardly as a film along the impeller shaft 101.

A drive element comprising a spur gear 150 is keyed to the first reduced portion of the impeller shaft 101 by a Woodrufl key 151, and a spacing sleeve 152 is mounted on a further reduced portion of the shaft 101 to separate the gear 150 axially from the inner race of a ball bearing 153. The outer race of the bearing 1 53 is inserted in a recess provided therefor in a cap 154, secured to the gear housing by cap screws 155. A flange 1-56 on the-cap I54 fits loosely into an opening in the gear case to permit the bearing 153 to be axially aligned with the bearing 139. A nut 157 screwed onto the threaded rear end of the im peller shaft 101 clamps the inner races of the bearings=1 39 and 153, the spur gear 150, the collar 147 and the sleeve 152 firmly together, at the same time forcing the spacing collar 147 tightly against the shaft shoulder 148'. A lock washer 158 secures the nut 157 in adjusted position.

The spur gear 150 is of substantially smaller diameter than the opening in the gear housing 141 into which the centering flange 140 fits. In mounting the pumpon an automotive vehicle care should be exercised to see that no portions of the pump assembly nor any of the necessary piping or wiring accessories are locatedimmediately forwardly of the impeller section B. Therefore, upon release of the plate portion 138 from the gear housing 141, and release of the impeller section conduits 95, 114 and 130 from the underside of the manifold A,,the entire impeller section B is free to be moved forwardly, withdrawing the rearward portion of the impeller shaft and the spur gear and hearings assembled thereon from the gear housing. 7

Preferably the cap 154 over the end of the impeller shaft is removed before disassembling the impeller section B from the manifold and gear housing sections so as to entirely free the end of the impeller shaft from the gear housing. However, the fit between the outer race of the ball bearing 153 and the wall of the recess therefor in the cap 154 should be such as to permit relatively easy withdrawal of the bearing 153- from its seat, even if the cap 154 is left in place when removing the impeller section. A clearance of apprximately one onethousandth of an inch between bearing 153 and the side wall of its recess in the cap has been found satisfactory. An intermediate idler gear 160 is journalled on a double row ball bearing 161 mounted on a pin 162 secured in openings aligned lengthwise of the gear housing, and is positioned thereon by sleeves 144 and 145 so as to be in constant mesh with the spur gear 150 on the impeller shaft.

An internally splined gear 163 is slidably mounted on a correspondingly splined power driven shaft 164 to have driven relation therewith. The sliding gear 163 is adapted to be moved axially to selected adjusted positions on the shaft 164 in a well known manner by a usual shifting fork 166, the two arms of which (Fig. 7) are adapted to ride in a groove in a hub portion of the sliding gear 163. The splined shaft 164 is journalled in a ball bearing 165 mounted in a flanged opening in a plate 167 having a centering flange 168 thereon which fits into an opening in the forward wall of the gear housing 141 and is secured in position thereon by cap screws 169. The splined shaft 164 extends forwardly and is connected to the usual transmission housing, not shown, of the automotive vehicle upon which the pump assembly is mounted. A grease seal 170 is mounted ahead of the ball bearing 165 to have wiping, sealing engagement with the shaft 164.

The rear end portion 171 of the splined shaft 164 (Fig. 7) is reduced in diameter and has the inner race of a ball bearing 172 fitted thereon. The outer race of the ball bearing 172 is fitted into an axial recess in the forward end of a short shaft 173 journalled in a pair of ball bearings 174 and 175. The outer races of the bearings 174 and 175 are mounted in annular seats provided therefor in the rearward end of a conical extension 177 of the gear housing 141. The inner races of the bearings 174 and 175 are retained in proper axially separated position on the short shaft 173 by a spacer 178 and are secured in position by a nut 179, screwed onto a threaded portion of the short shaft 173 and retained by a lock washer 180.

The sliding gear 163 has an internally toothed concentric n'ng portion 181 formed integrally on the rearward side thereof, the internal teeth of the portion 181 being adapted to receive the correspondingly externally toothed forward end of the short shaft 173 to provide direct driving connection between the splined shaft 164 and the short shaft 173. When not thus engaged, however, the splined, power driven shaft 164 is free to rotate on the ball bearings 165 and 172 relatively to the short shaft 173.

The short shaft 173 is adapted to be connected by a conventional type of universal joint, not shown, to a rearwardly extending conventional vehicle drive shaft, also not shown, to provide driving connection between the short shaft 173 and the rear wheels of the vehicle upon which the pump assembly is mounted. A conventional parking brake drum 182 (Fig. 1) is fitted and keyed to a tapered portion of the short shaft 173 which projects rearwardly beyond the gear housing 141, and a conventional parking brake band 183 is mounted on end abutments 187 and 188 of a brake band mounting bracket 189 (Figs. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7). The bracket 189 is secured by cap screws 190 onto the rear end of the tapered rearward extension 177 of the gear housing 141, and has a flanged central opening 176 (Fig. 7) therein to permit the short shaft 173 to pass therethrough. A snap ring 191 inserted in a peripheral groove in the outer race of the ball bearing 175 is gripped between the brake band mounting bracket 189 and the tapered rearward extension 177 to secure the bearing against displacement. A grease seal 192 is mounted in the flanged opening 176 rearwardly of the nut 179 to have wiping, sealing engagement with the shaft 173.

The shifting fork 166 (Fig. 7) is mounted on a conventional sliding bar 194 (Fig. 6) which rides in the axially aligned bores of a pair of tubes 197 and 198 inserted in holes provided therefor in opposite walls of the gear housing 141. The guide tube 198 is capped at 199, and the other guide tube 197 has a usual packing nut 200 thereon to prevent the escape of grease from the gear housing along the sliding gear shift bar 194. The sliding bar 194 is connected by usual means, not shown, to a gear shift control lever, also not shown, mounted conveniently to an operator.

By constructing the novel and improved centrifugal pump assembly of the present invention in the manner herein shown and described, it will be readily apparent that the impeller section of same may be rapidly removed and replaced without in any way disturbing other parts of the pump assembly or the vehicle upon which it is mounted, thus facilitating the overall maintenance of the pump.

It should also be here noted that rapid replacement of the impeller section of the present pump is particularly advantageous and of vital importance when such pump is employed in and with fire fighting equipment, since, in the event replacement of said impeller section is necessary for any reason, the fire fighting equipment with which it is associated will only be out of service for a relatively brief period.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood, however, that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A pump assembly comprising a manifold section adapted to be mounted on a vehicle, an impeller section releasably secured to said manifold section to be supported thereby, an impeller drive element mounted in said impeller section to extend therefrom, and a gear housing secured to said manifold section to be supported thereby and disposed at the side of said impeller section from which said impeller drive element extends, said drive element being adapted to extend into said gear housing, said impeller section, drive element, and gear housing being so constructed that the impeller section and drive element may be withdrawn as a unit from the gear housing on release of said impeller section from the manifold section.

2. A pump assembly comprising a manifold section adapted to span a pair of vehicle frame members for support thereon, an impeller section mounted beneath said manifold section and secured thereto along a substantially horizontal surface, a gear housing mounted on said manifold section and disposed at a side of said impeller section, said gear housing having a relatively large, unobstructed opening in the side thereof toward said impeller section, an impeller shaft rotatably mounted in said impeller section and projecting therefrom toward said gear housing, a gear secured to said impeller shaft and adapted to be inserted in said gear housing through said opening therein while mounted on the shaft, and a closure member in sealing relation with the impeller shaft and adapted to close and seal said opening in said gear housing, said impeller section being adapted to be released from said manifold section, and said closure member being adapted to be removed from said gear housing to free the impeller section for removal from the manifold section and gear housing in a direction axially of the impeller shaft.

3. A combined pump structure and means for mounting the same on spaced frame members of a vehicle chassis comprising a rigid, hollow manifold structure whose length is at least as great as the width of the space-between the frame members, means for rigidly aflixing the manifold structure to the frame members in bridging relation therewith, a gear housing secured to the manifold structure to be supported thereby, an impeller section secured 7 toihe manifold structure to be supported thereby and disposed at aside of said gear liousin ,a drive element mounted in said im eller section and extending therefrom info the gear housing, and driving means within the gear housing operahly connected to said drive element.

4. A combined pump structure and means for mounting the same on spaced frame members of a vehicle chassis, Comprising a rigid manifold structure of greater length than the space between the frame members and defining a manifold passage therewithin, pads rigid with the underside' of the manifold structure and spaced apart correspondingly to the spacing of the frame members, means for rigidly affixing the manifold structure to the frame members in bridging relation therewith with said pads" fiofted thereby, a geif housing secured to the manifold structure to-Ee' supported thereby and dis osed at a side dfsaiii'puinp casing, an impeller operabl mounted Within thepnxnpi casings shaft secured to the impeller and eX- te'ndin'g frorrithe' pump casing intothe" gear housing, and gears operably'monnted within the gear" housing and havif n dri ing" connection to said shaft.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED' STATES PATENTS 1,363,336 McGinn Dec. 28', 1920' 1,453,569.. Ba'thri'ck -July 31,1923 2,274,763 Yates Mar. 3, 1942 2,422,4rs Howe June 17, 1947 

